Hundreds posted their own self-styled analyses on HBO’s “Sopranos” bulletin boards, saying the multifaceted dream – with its flashbacks, surprise appearances by dead associates and fanciful conversations with loved ones – provided meaningful insight into Tony’s state of mind.

The armchair analysts felt the dream might be setting the stage for Tony to whack his bug-eyed cousin, Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), to prevent a destructive war with Johnny Sack.

On those same boards, detractors called the show “the worst episode ever” and complained it wasted time that could have been used more constructively to advance the many storylines that are still unresolved as the series heads toward the final two episodes of the fifth season.

While the lengthy dream was frustrating at times to watch, you can’t say it wasn’t a rich 20-plus minutes.

I won’t deny it wasn’t fun to play “count the dead people”; I counted at least nine: New York don Carmine Lupertazzi; Gloria Trillo, Tony’s ex-girlfriend; Tony’s father, Johnny; Tony’s old friend, Pussy; Mikey Palmieri, whacked in Season 1; Ralphie, whacked last season because he insulted Tony’s horse; the corrupt cop Vin Makazian, played by John Heard; Soprano family captain Gigi Cestone, who died of a heart attack while sitting on a toilet; and, possibly, Richie Aprile (although his face was difficult to discern).

In addition, at least three gangster movies were referenced in Tony’s dream – “The Valachi Papers,” “The Godfather” and “Bugsy,” thanks to a surprise appearance by Annette Bening – plus three other movies: “Chinatown,” “High Noon” and the 1951 version of “A Christmas Carol,” on whose dream sequence Tony’s dream seemed loosely based.

But, hey – if I wanted to name a bunch of dead people or identify references to old movies, I would go and play Trivial Pursuit.

As for Tony’s state of mind, after all these years, I feel I know his state of mind.

At this point, what I really want to know is: What’s he going to do about it?